Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balga and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,762 in Balga, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Balga
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Balga Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index

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Balga

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,762

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Balga and in Ubud, Bali

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Balga and in Ubud, Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,762 in Balga versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Balga $2,762
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,828 in Balga versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Balga $3,828
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,893 in Balga versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Balga $4,893
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Balga is roughly 105% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.97 A$29.81

$3.32 Rp 60.2K

531.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 A$118

$35.64 Rp 646.0K

133.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 A$15.83

$5.53 Rp 100.3K

101.27%

Cappuccino

$4.62 A$6.57

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

69.85%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 A$3.98

$1.70 Rp 30.8K

64.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 A$3.27

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

202.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.39 A$11.93

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

216.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.73

$4.38 Rp 79.4K

88.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.47

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

16.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 A$4.47

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

37.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.80

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

65.55%

Eggs

$5.09 A$7.24

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

149.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.17

$17.70 Rp 320.8K

-47.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.46 A$13.45

$3.96 Rp 71.8K

138.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 A$19.53

$12.19 Rp 221.0K

12.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 A$6.49

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

24.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.56

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

111.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 A$5.07

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

59.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.85 A$6.89

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

146.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.05

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

54.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 A$2.74

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

-20.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 A$3.22

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

128.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$0.51 Rp 9,306

162.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.17 A$60.0

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

1799.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 A$17.71

$22.24 Rp 403.1K

-43.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.19

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

92.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 A$5.00

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

18.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 A$3.80

$0.25 Rp 4,550

968.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 A$112

$7.82 Rp 141.8K

904.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 A$5.14

$0.44 Rp 7,967

720.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 A$1.98

$0.43 Rp 7,796

223.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.13 A$58.5

$5.41 Rp 98.0K

660.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.92

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

64.63%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.9K A$42.5K

$23.8K Rp 432.1M

25.47%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.8K A$39.6K

$31.7K Rp 575.5M

-12.28%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$207 A$294

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

161.23%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$33.27 A$47.30

$6.45 Rp 116.8K

415.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.5 A$90.3

$18.58 Rp 336.7K

241.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.6 A$89.0

$49.48 Rp 896.9K

26.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 A$27.39

$17.65 Rp 319.9K

9.12%

Cinema Ticket

$17.26 A$24.54

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

304.22%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,271 A$3,228

$491 Rp 8.9M

362.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K A$33.8K

$5,674 Rp 102.8M

318.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

$44.64 Rp 809.1K

75.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 A$90.2

$34.95 Rp 633.5K

81.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$175

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

54.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 A$234

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

107.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,467 A$2,086

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

30.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 A$1,945

$671 Rp 12.2M

103.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 A$2,843

$3,565 Rp 64.6M

-43.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,781 A$2,532

$1,723 Rp 31.2M

3.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,422 A$9,130

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

135.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,389 A$6,240

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

92.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,358 A$4,775

$164 Rp 3.0M

1949.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

13.78

-56.75%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Balga: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Balga

$1.4K 49.5%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 50.9% $697

Groceries & Markets

Balga

$365 13.2%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 21% $77

Eating Out

Balga

$335 12.1%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 67.9% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balga

$303 11%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 65.7% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Balga

$193 7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 44.4% $86

Getting Around

Balga

$100 3.6%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 88.6% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Balga

$97 3.5%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 40.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,467 in Balga and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balga pays about 20 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Balga vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Balga

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

Same time as Balga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,685

74,800

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,125 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,227 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Balga Ubud, Bali 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Balga
Ubud, Bali

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Balga vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,762 in Balga and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, so Ubud, Bali is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Balga is about 20 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,467 in Balga versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $83 in Balga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,762 per month in Balga versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – Ubud, Bali is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Balga and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Balga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.